Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Corbyn's response? "The idea that somehow or other there's a tolerance of any form of racism is wholly and totally fallacious."

What Corbyn is doing here is what Jeremy Newmark, Chair of the Jewish Labour Movement, calls "antisemitism denial". Corbyn does not tolerate antisemitism. He just think that the guy who
called a man who spread blood-libels against Jews a 'voice that must be
heard'.

Jeremy Corbyn was interviewed on Sky News today. In response to the challenge from Lord Levy to ‘deliver a specific and categoric condemnation of antisemitism’, Corbyn proceeded to deliver a general and partial condemnation. Labour is against antisemitism he repeated, again and again. But he did not address the problem, as described clearly by all those who have thought seriously about it. He refused. He did the opposite. He denounced antisemitism in the most general terms possible, as he denounces Islamophobia and all other racisms too.

He shows he does not understand the point by promising to stand by Jews if they are attacked on the street. But within the Labour Party? He has nothing to say.

And then he accuses Lord Levy of bad faith. He repeats the phrase Lord Levy ‘knows full well…’ three times .. (1) that I oppose antisemitism, (2) that the Labour Party opposes antisemitism and (3) that we all oppose antisemitism. If he knows ‘full well’, then why is Lord Levy making all this trouble? Jews must be up to something. Corbyn is accusing Levy of mobilizing a bad-faith allegation in order to damage the Labour Party.